A gynecologist in France has been accused of “transphobia” after refusing to see a male-to-female trans person. After going viral because of the incident, the doctor has defended his decision to the media, stating “a cavity is not a vagina.”
The 26-year-old was the first trans person Dr. Victor Acharian would have seen in his 30 years of gynecology practice. He was immediately uncomfortable with the request to examine the person and told his secretary he would not see her, stating “I only treat women.”
The patient’s boyfriend left a negative Google review after the incident, to which the doctor responded strongly:
“SIR. I am a gynecologist, and I take care of real women. I have no skills to take care of men, even if they have shaved their beards and come to tell my secretary that they have become women,” Acharian wrote.
The transgender person immediately went to the French press and reported feeling in “shock” and a “black hole.” After the online exchange went viral, with accounts such as Cerfia and SOS homophobie sharing screenshots on X, the doctor took action by speaking to the media.
"I told her that I'm not competent, but I can guide you. I can refer you to services that can take better care of you. But after I said that, things went south,” he told Euronews.
The patient reportedly “you’re transphobic!” as she left the consultation room and proceeded to violently berate his secretary, Euronews reports.
He added that he “thought I was being honest when I said it wasn't my specialty. I don't know how to treat them and I don't mind being called ignorant.”
He defended his decision to turn the patient away:
"I reacted spontaneously, out of anger, and I felt I'd been unfairly attacked. I reacted with very clumsy words that may have offended. I'm well aware of that, I've expressed my regrets on several occasions.”
"Now the situation has got out of hand, but the problem remains – these people need medical attention.”
"Just because it's a cavity doesn't mean it's a classic vagina," he concluded.
Pernille Ravn, a prominent gynecologist in Europe came to the Acharian’s defense, telling Euronews, "As more and more transgender patients are coming, it is the responsibility of the country's health authorities to be aware of this and to take them into account so that they can deal with this problem.”
"There is no recommendation for a transgender woman to have regular gynecological check-ups, unless she has a surgical problem related to the operation, because she doesn't have a uterus or a cervix.”
